Nor is this paffage unfupported by a warmth of imagination, and the spirit of pathetic poetry. The general cast of the whole poem fhews, that our author was not ill qualified for dramatic compofition.

Another of Grimoald's blank-verse poems, is on the death of Zoroas an Egyptian astronomer, who was killed in Alexander's first battle with the Perfians. It is opened with this nervous and animated exordium.

Now clattering armes, now ragyng broyls of warre,
Gan paffe the of dredfull trompets clang 2;

noyes

Shrowded with fhafts the heaven, with clowd of darts
Covered the ayre. Against full-fatted bulls

As forceth kindled yre the lyons keene,

Whofe greedy gutts the gnawing honger pricks,
So Macedonians 'gainst the Perfians fare'.

In the midst of the tumult and hurry of the battle, appears the fage philofopher Zoroas: a claffical and elegant defcription of whose skill in natural fcience, forms a pleafing contrast amidst images of death and deftruction; and is inferted with great propriety, as it is neceffary to introduce the hiftory of his catastrophe.

Shakyng her bloody hands Bellone, among

The Perfes, fowth all kynde of cruel deth.

Him fmites the club; him wounds far-ftrikyng bow;
And him the flyng, and him the fhining fwoord.-

Right over ftood, in fnow-white armour brave',

The Memphite Zoroas, a cunning clarke,
To whom the heaven lay open as his boke :

The reader muft recollect Shakespeare's,

Loud larums, neighing steeds, and TRUMPETS CLANG.
• Brave, is richly decked.

. Fol. 115. VOL. III.

And in celeftiall bodies he could tell
The moving, meting, light, afpect, eclips,
And influence, and conftellacions all.
What earthly chances would betide: what yere
Of plenty ftord: what figne forwarned derth:
How winter gendreth fnow: what temperature
In the prime tide" doth season well the foyl.
Why fommer burnes: why autumne hath ripe grapes:
Whether the circle quadrate may become :

Whether our tunes heavens harmony can yeld":-
What star doth let the hurtfull fire to rage,

Or him more milde what oppofition makes:
What fire doth qualify Mavorfes fire, &c*.

Our aftronomer, finding by the ftars that he is destined to die fpeedily, chufes to be killed by the hand of Alexander, whom he endeavours to irritate to an attack, firft by throwing darts, and then by reproachful fpeeches.

Of mothers bed!

Cowards among?

Shameful stain

Why lofeft thou thy ftrokes
Turne thee to me, in case
Manhode there be fo much left in thy hart :
Come, fight with me, that on my helmet weare
Apolloes laurel, both for learnings laude,
And eke for martial praife: that in my fhielde
The fevenfold fophie of Minerve contain.

A match more mete, fir king, than any here.

Alexander is for a while unwilling to revenge this infult on a man eminent for wisdom.

The noble prince amoved takes ruthe upon
The wilful wight; and with soft wordes, ayen:
O monftrous man, quoth he, What fo thou art!

I

pray thee live, ne do not with thy death

This lodge of lore', the Mufes manfion mar,
That treasure-house this hand shall never spoyl.
My fword fhall never bruse that skilfull braine,
Long-gathered heapes of Science fone to spill.
O how faire frutes may you to mortal man
From WISDOM's garden give! How many may,
By you, the wiser and the better prove!
What error, what mad moode, what frenfy, thee
Perfwades, to be downe fent to depe Averne,
Where no arts florish, nor no knowledge 'vails

For all these sawes? When thus the foveraign fayd,
Alighted Zoroas, &c.

I have a fufpicion, that these two pieces in blank-verse, if not fragments of larger works, were finished in their present state, as prolufions, or illuftrative practical specimens, for our author's course of lectures in rhetoric. In that case, they were written fo early as the year 1547. There is pofitive proof, that they appeared not later than 1557, when they were first printed by Tottell.

I have already mentioned lord Surrey's Virgil: and for the fake of juxtaposition, will here produce a third fpecimen of early blank-verfe, little known. In the year 1590, William Vallans published a blank-verfe poem, entitled, A TALE OF TWO SWANNES, which, under a poetic fiction, describes the situation and antiquities of several towns in Hertfordshire. The author, a native or inhabitant of Hertfordshire, seems to have been con

nected with Camden and other ingenious antiquaries of his age.

I cite the exordium.

When Nature, nurfe of every living thing,
Had clad her charge in brave and new array;
The hils rejoift to fee themselves fo fine:
The fields and woods grew proud thereof also:
The meadowes with their partie-colour'd coates,
Like to the rainebow in the azurd skie,

Gave just occasion to the cheerfull birdes

With sweetest note to finge their nurse's praise.

Among the which, the merrie nightingale

With fwete and fwete, her breast against a thorne,
Ringes out all night, &c.

Vallans is probably the author of a piece much better known, a history, by many held to be a romance, but which proves the writer a diligent fearcher into antient records, entitled, "The "HONOURABLE PRENTICE, Shewed in the Life and Death "of Sir JOHN HAWKEWOOD fometime Prentice of London, "interlaced with the famous History of the noble FITZ"WALTER Lord of Woodham in Effex', and ofthe poisoning "of his faire daughter. Alfo of the merry Cuftomes of DUN"MOWE, &c. Whereunto is annexed the most lamentable "murther of Robert Hall at the High Altar in Westminster Abbey "."

66

The reader will obferve, that what has been here faid about early specimens of blank-verfe, is to be restrained to poems not

London, Printed by Roger Ward for Robert Sheldrake, MDXC. 4to. 3. Sheets. He mentions most of the Seats in Hertfordfhire then existing, belonging to the queen and the nobility. See Hearne's LEL. ITIN. V. Pr. p iv. feq. ed. 2.

The founder of Dunmowe Priory, af

terwards mentioned, in the reign of Henry the third.

There are two old editions, at London, in 1615, and 1616, both for Henry Goffon, in 5 fh. 4to. They have only the author's initials W. V. See Hearne, ut modo fupr. iii. p. v. ii. p. xvi.

written

written for the stage. Long before Vallans's Two SWANNES, many theatrical pieces in blank-verse had appeared; the first of which is, The TRAGEDY OF GORDOBUCKE, written in 1561. The second is George Gascoigne's JOCASTA, a tragedy, acted at Grays-inn, in 1566. George Peele had alfo published his tragedy in blank-verse of DAVID and BETHSABE, about the year 1579. HIERONYMO, a tragedy alfo without rhyme, was acted before 1590. But this point, which is here only tranfiently mentioned, will be more fully confidered hereafter, in its proper place. We will now return to our author Grimoald.

Grimoald, as a writer of verses in rhyme, yields to none of his cotemporaries, for a masterly choice of chafte expreffion, and the concife elegancies of didactic verfification. Some of the couplets, in his poem IN PRAISE OF MODERATION, have all the smartness which marks the modern ftyle of fententious poetry, and would have done honour to Pope's ethic epistles.

The auncient Time commended not for nought
The Mean. What better thing can there be fought?
In meane is virtue placed on either fide,

Both right and left, amiffe a man may flide.
Icar, with fire' hadst thou the midway flown,
Icarian beak by name no man known.
If middle path kept had proud Phaeton,
No burning brande this earth had falne upon.
Ne cruel power, ne none too foft can raign:
That kepes' a meane, the fame fhal ftil remain.
Thee, Julie, once did too much mercy fpill:
Thee, Nero fterne, rigor extreme did kill.
How could Auguft" fo many yeres wel passe?
Nor overmeke, nor overfierce, he was.